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twb's avatar

The key to these great rules - Prime Directive or "thou shalt not kill" - is to have the wisdom to know when to adhere to them and when to cross that line, but never to lose respect for them or the self-restraint they impose. They may be broken under certain circumstances, but they should never be casually tossed aside.

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Joseph L. Wiess's avatar

Thou shalt not kill - wasn't the prime directive. The Prime Directive was "Do not interfere with civilizations that don't have FTL drive." It was why Captains got in trouble for violating the Prime Directive.

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John F. Trent's avatar

I believe he was making a comparison to the 5th commandment there not describing the Prime Directive albeit I don't think he fully understands the fifth commandment.

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Joseph L. Wiess's avatar

Most People Don't.

Most people follow the translation "Do not Kill"

In greek, the original is 13 ΜΗ φονεύσεις.

13 Thou shalt not murder.

Killing in self-defense is allowed, as is Killing during War.

But killing just to kill is wrong.

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John F. Trent's avatar

Correct. I'd argue capital punishment as well.

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Jason Brain's avatar

Super coincidental, I was thinking about the Prime Directive today in terms of storytelling! Don't know why, but was bouncing around my head this morning – a Substack premonition!

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